Affordable Care Act Enrollment Begins

Calculate Your Estimated ACA Costs

Most plans offer a range of benefits at different price points

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Coverage options for the Affordable Care Act's online state marketplaces vary from sate to state to state, even town to town and among age groups.

Use the tool below to help estimate what it may cost you.

Each coverage option will include the same basic set of benefits.They'll be ranked according to premium levels -- bronze being the lowest and platinum being the highest. Those at the lower end will ask higher deductibles and co-pays, and those at the higher end will ask lower out-of-pocket costs at the time of treatment.

Low-income Americans who can't afford care on the private market will generally have two potential choices, depending on their circumstances. Those whose earnings fall under 138 percent of the poverty level will be directed to the newly expanded Medicaid programs (if their states choose to take part). Those who come in above that line will be directed to the online exchanges, where they may be eligible for tax credits and other subsidies.

The Affordable Care Act's goal is to slash the ranks of the uninsured by making it easier for people to find reasonably priced coverage. The major provision -- that most Americans must have health insurance -- goes into effect Jan. 1. To make that happen, the law provides for the creation of online marketplaces, where consumers can shop for insurance that meets their needs and budget. Those exchanges began operating Oct. 1.